You Could've Told Me
by Skwiz
Summary: When did Hide figure out Kaneki was a ghoul? what were his thoughts? sorry for any errors hope everyone likes it, Thanks for reading - Skwiz
A/N - Sorry if any characters seem out of character, i did my best to keep them in character and also be faithful to the anime, some parts of the anime are pulled into this story as im giving the evens from Hides perspective, i had alot of fun writing this i hope you guys like it.

It was a nice day as Hide, Kaneki and Nishki walked on the sidewalk on the way to Nishki's house to get some important information Hide needed for a festival the previous year. As the three took a right Hide felt a sharp pain in his stomach sent flying and crashed into the ground multiple times hitting his head once or twice knocking him unconcious for a few moments. slowly regaining conciousness faintly hearing Nishki talking in the distance, Hide tried to focus on what was being said in the distance, attempting to ignore the pain shooting in his stomach.

'You were gonna eat Nagachika, wernt you? theres nothing like the sense of power you get from turning on some idiot who trust you wholeheartedly. Dontcha just love the look of anguish that crosses their face when they finally give up hope? well dontcha Kaneki?' Nishki asked Kaneki. 'Eat me? Is...Kaneki a ghoul?! no thats impossible ive known him since we were kids id have known.'

'You, youre a monster. Im not like you.' Hide heard Kaneki struggle to say.

'Oh yeah? You better watch your mouth cause your startin to piss me off youre supposed to respect your elders.' Nishki responded 'That was too easy. you dont even have an ounce of muscle on your body. i punched right through you.' Hide heard Nishki say followed by the sound of Kaneki in pain. 'He punched straight through Kaneki?! i didnt know ghouls were so strong, im in alot of danger right now, can i escape? if i did would he chase me? i think im screwed either way.' Hide thought to himself in panic, having never been in a close encounter with a ghoul before. Hide was scared but still tried to remain aware and smart.

Before he could plan further on his escape or course of action Hide heard footsteps approaching him and closed his eyes pretending to still be unconcious realizing there is nothing he can do in the situation. Hide believed this would be the best course of action and avoid drawing attention to himself hoping to hear more of what they had to say to eachother maybe he could get some insight on what was going on, possibly learn something about Kaneki's new secret.

'How can humans eat that stuff? its disgusting.' Nishki said and stopped walking a few feet away from Hide before continuing 'it tastes just like im eatin a pile of horse crap.' Hide could hear Nishki start to gag and heard the sound of a liquid hit the ground a few feet away from him Hide was disgusted but refused to show it continuing to put on the facade of being unconcious knowing his survival could depend on it.

'Uh-oh, im sorry about that. im afraid ive just ruined your meal.' Nishki said then stomping his foot on the side of Hides head almost rendering him unconcious. 'You two have known each other for a long time. He calls you his best friend. So tell me, just when were you going to eat him?' Nishki asked Kaneki as he stomped on Hides skull a few times more and with each stomp Hide felt himself losing his conciousness more and more slowly fading 'I cant take another one or im going to be knocked out' Hide thought in his mind. 'Dont you think youve waited long enough, Kaneki? which part of him do you wanna eat first? Nishki asked while stomping on Hides skull more and more fading into sleep with the last thing Hide hearing is Kaneki faintly say 'Stop it, Hide is not food.'

Hide awoke suddenly in a dark room and a bed he was unfamiliar with. Hide quietly groaned instantly noticing hes head was slightly ringing and in pain and feeling a tightness around his forehead. Hide tried to sit and and get his bearings of the room wondering if it was Kaneki's but felt a pain in his stomach as he tried to sit up and gave up thinking enduring the pain of sitting up wasnt worth it and continued to lie down. Hide brought one of his hands to rub his head feeling fabric wrapped around his head. 'My head is bandaged?' Hide thought to himself. 'Who wrapped me up?' Hide asked himself silently.

Hide looked around the dark room trying to figure out if it was a room he had been in before but it was hard to see in the darkness but from what he could tell he didnt recognize the room and there was no clock so there was no way to know what the time was and figure out how long hed been unconcious. 'Where am i? How long have i been here? Who brought me here?' Hide asked himself in wonder.

Hide began to go through his memories trying to remember what mightve brought him here. 'I felt a pain in my stomach and laying on the ground...Kaneki ...is a ghoul?' Hide thought to himself in shock. 'i remember Kaneki telling Nishki to stop, im not food...did Kaneki save me and brng me back here? Where even is here? Am i safe?' Hide thought to himself while staring into the ceiling. 'How could Kaneki be a ghoul, its impossible right?' Hide asked himself wondering how it could be possible his best friend was a ghoul. Before Hide could think on it further he could hear footsetps approaching the door to them room he was in, Hide listened closer and closer hearing the footsteps what sounded like they were right at the door. Hide did the only thing he thought he could, he pretened to be asleep 'whoever brought me here bandaged me up and put me in the bed to sleep if they wanted me dead they wouldve done it by now.' Hide thought in his mind as he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

'Hide' Hide heard Kaneki say glad to hear his friends voice knowing he was ok and not killed by the incident earlier. 'I cant let him see my face if i make the slightest twitch or even try to peek they will know im awake and wont say anything, if i pretend to be asleep i might learn more about what happened' Hide thought to himself as he rolled over as best he could while making it seem like it wasnt a concious action.

'This hunger it seems to be getting worse and worse by the day. I couldnt control it. and i completely lost myself. I was so hungry that i thought i was going to die. So i went after Hide. Now that agonizing hungers gone. but there was blood in my mouth... I want to know where it came from. What did you do to me while i was sleeping?' Hide heard Kaneki's everyword in shock. 'Kaneki tried to eat me?!'Hide thought to himself in disbelief glad he rolled away from them unsure if he would be able to keep his act up. 'He starved himself to avoid eating human flesh?' Hide thought in his mind very curiously.

'As you know,theres only one way to satisfy a ghouls afraid that we had no choice. If we hadnt stepped in, you wouldve devoured your friend.' Yoshimura said calmly trying to comfort Kaneki. Hide heard Kaneki start to cry, knowing his best friend wasnt in his right mind and regretted his actions starting to feel bad inside at imaging the pain his best friend had to endure. 'Dont be ashamed youre one of us now.' Yoshimura told Kaneki trying to assure him that there was nothing wrong with him and no one would judge him. 'I know that. and as a result, im gonna lose my best friend. because...i care too much about Hide to put him at risk. what now? its not like i can just join the ghoul world. you guys dont want me around 'cause im a half-breed. im alone. im not a human or a ghoul. theres no place for me!' Kaneki spoke with his voice cracking every now and again losing himself in emotions fighting one another. 'Kaneki...i would never leave your side you mean just as much to me as I mean to you.' Hide thought to himself.

Hide heard footsteps walking from one side of the room to the other side and the opening of the blinds, as soon as they were open his face was hit with warmth and could feel the energy of the sun beaming on his face. ' I can assure you thats not true. dont you see you are both a human and a ghoul, Kaneki. therefore you are the one and only person who has a place in both worlds. i promise you, youre not alone. why dont you join us at Anteiku? im sure we can help you find your way. itd be good for you. itll give you the opportunity to better understand us. then you can judge for yourself whether or not were just ravenous beasts ...well, how about it? ill start off by teaching you how to make one of our delicious cups of coffee.' Yoshimura told Kaneki as they both started to walk out of the room Hide was pretending to be sleeping in. 'Yeah sounds good. ive never made coffee before.' Hide heard Kaneki say as one of them closed the door to the room muffling the last few words of the sentence before regardless Hide could hear in Kaneki's tone that Yoshimura's words cheered him up greatly and relieved Hide. Upon hearing the door close Hide opened his eyes and shortly after let out a sigh that he fooled the both of them and learned more about Kaneki's situation and how he felt.

Hide rolled back onto his back and stared at the ceiling. 'Kaneki who are you?' Hide thought to himself. 'Have you been lying to me the entire time ive known you because you were scared i would tell the CCG? If you have been a ghoul your entire life why have you been acting strange lately and why would you have been starving yourself? Hide wondered to himself. 'Half-breed' Hide whispered to himself 'I didnt know humans and ghouls could create life together...id never even considered something like that, does that make Kaneki more important? More dangerous?...What am i saying? He is still the same person i grew up with, he was crying over losing me...'Hide pondered to himself while still staring at the ceiling thinking of anything in the past Kaneki could have done that might have indicated he was a ghoul.

Hide wanted to sleep knowing it would feel better when he awoke but he couldnt after eveything he had learned in the last few hours, it had been maybe an hour since Kaneki and Yoshimura left the room after the talk they had. Hide could hear footsteps growing louder and louder, they were the first he heard since Yoshimura and Kaneki left Hide, the steps continued to grow louder, stopping just outside the door to the room Hide was in followed by a soft knock.

'Hideyoshi are you awake?' Hide recognized the voice to be Yoshimura's. Hide removed the covers and sat on the bed with his feet on the ground to the side of the bed he had been on for the last several hours 'Yes' Hide said somewhat quietly. 'May i come in?' Yoshimura asked politely followed by a brief silence, 'Yeah' Hide said in the same tone as before. The door knob turned and the door slowly opened and Yoshimura entered and gently closed the door behind him, noticing he had a tray with only a glass of water with him as far as Hide could tell.

Yoshimura set the tray down on the nearest table and turned to face Hide 'How are you feeling?' Yoshimura asked with a slight sound of concern in his voice. ' My head and stomach are sore' Hide groaned as he rubbed his head. 'I thought you might be in some pain so i brought you something to help relieve the pain.' Yoshimura grabbed the glass of water and a small tray which had two small white pills on it as he smiled to Hide. Hide took the glass of water and the pills quickly putting them in his mouth and drinking some of the water already feeling relief knowing the pain he was feeling would dull over time now that he had taken some medication 'Thanks for bringing me and taking care of me i really appreciate it' Hide said with a smile grateful for the help Anteiku had provided him.

'Touka was the one who found you and brought back both you and Kaneki and bandaged you up so you will have to thank her' Yoshimura said with a smile glad Hide was feeling better and didnt suffer more severe injuries. 'Was Touka the one who undressed me and put me in the pajamas?!' Hide asked with his eyes open widely wondering if the cute girl had been the one to change his clothes. Yoshimura let out a gentle laugh 'No, I hope you forgive me, i was the one who removed your clothes and put you in the pajamas you are in now i also had them washed while you were asleep they are in the top drawer in that chest over there, Touka was the one who bandaged you.' Yoshimura chuckled still amused by Hides question before. 'Well than you for your kindness and generosity of letting me recover here and your employees helping me and my friend, but as soon as i get downstairs ill be sure to thank her for both me and Kaneki.' Hide said with a smile. 'Its no problem at all, I couldnt just turn down two of my loyal customers who are in need after such an incident your lucky to have made it through the accident with only minor injuries.' Yoshimura said.

There was a pause between both Hide and Yoshimura 'Do you remember anything about what happened? Yoshimura asked kindly curious if Hide knew much of the incident that happened. 'I remember i was walking with Kaneki and Nishki and everything goes blank from there.' Hide says as he looks down and rubs his head longing for the medication to kick in. ' I see, do you mind if i sit down with you?' Yoshimura asked with a smile. 'Of course, i dont mind' Hide watched as Yoshimura sat on the bed beside Hide. 'Thank you, i want you to know that you are safe here at Anteiku.' Yoshimura said as he closed his eyes and kept them closed. 'Why did he say that?' Hide thought to himself growing slightly worried at where the conversation was going.

'Hideyoshi...im not going to try and trick you, i know you are too smart and i dont want to decieve you so i will be honest with you.' Yoshimura said gentley as he turned his head to face hide with a smile and opened his black and red eyes staring at Hide. ' Kaneki needs you more than either of us could imagine, he cares for you deeply and you know that..even after hearing our conversation earlier.' Yoshimura said without hesitation. Hide was caught off gaurd by seeing the red and black eyes hed known ghouls possessed but able to remain still and in control knowing that Yoshimura was a ghoul from the conversation he heard before, Hide was most caught off gaurd by how Yoshimura knew he was awake the entire time.

'...How?...did you know i was awake?' Hide asked in shock. Yoshimura chuckled while still staring at Hide with a smile on his face 'Well im sure you know ghouls have hightened senses, some of us have higher senses than other ghouls but i happened to have excellent hearing, im not sure if your aware of how well some ghouls hearing can be but to let you know, i can hear your heartbeat... when Kaneki mentioned he attempted to eat you you heart rate increased noticably it, sleeping heartrates are slower and steady.' Yoshimura said in his gentle tone. ' Yeah i didnt know ghouls could hear that well...' Hide said looking down to the ground.

'Im sure you are caught off gaurd by learning this all at once, and im sorry you and Kaneki are having to deal with this all at once im sure this isnt easy for you, but it has been even worse for Kaneki. He has been trying to protect you because he is scared that he will lose you if you learn he is a ghoul and he has also had the difficulty of adjusting to life as a ghoul. I couldnt imagine how hard things are for him. I have only revealed myself to help you understand and answer any questions you might have with the hope you will accept Kaneki for what he is now understanding that he hasnt changed and is still the same person before the accident that happened to him. I am telling you because i fear hes too scared to tell you himself and i dont want his fear to ruin your great friendship, i hope you understand.' Yoshimura said while looking at Hide with a small smile easing the tension Hide felt earlier.

'The accident? On the roof? That caused him to need the organ transplant?' Hide asked curiously. 'Yes, Kaneki was attacked by a ghoul, she was killed by some steel beams falling on her however she injured Kaneki before she was killed, once the medics arrived they rushed both to the hospital the female ghoul was deceased and the doctor decided to use her organs to replace Kaneki's to save his life, however in the process has turned him into a ghoul im sure he was confused and was behaving differently after he left the hospital.' Yoshimura said with a slight frown on his face upset that Kaneki had to go through such a transformation. 'Yeah he has been acting strange lately, this has helped me learn whats going on i was worried about him, he looked pale and i thought he wasnt eating.' Hide stated.

'Well, you were right, from my understanding Kaneki refused to eat human flesh we provided him and when a ghoul is hungry they can lose themself in primal instincts for survival, which is what caused him to almost eat you, but luckily Touka was in the area and stopped him and brought you both here.' Yoshimura said calmly while reverting his eyes to normal. ' Your telling me the cute girl down stairs is a ghoul?' Hide asked surprised again. Yoshimura chuckled 'Yes all the workers of Anteiku are ghouls and a large portion of the customers are ghouls aswell, not many humans know but coffee is the only thing both ghouls and humans enjoy the same.' Yoshimura smiled. 'So thats why you run a coffee shop? As a sort of safe haven for the ghouls of the area?' Hide asked intrigued. 'I knew you were smart' Yoshimura chuckled while patting Hide's back easing the tension even more.

Hide gulped nervous of the next question he wanted to ask. ' Im sorry but ... has Kaneki killed anyone? Do you guys go out and kill people to survive?' Hide asked nervously afraid of angering the ghoul sitting beside him. 'Im glad you asked Hideyoshi, i wasnt sure if you were going to ask. As far as i am aware Kaneki has never killed anyone and had never eaten human flesh until today, we had no choice. As for if we kill people we do not, The members of Anteiku survive off the flesh of suicide victims, we also distribute that flesh to other ghouls in this ward who dont want to kill humans and because of that we like to believe we are the reason this ward is the safest.' Yoshimura said proudly. 'That actually is a very nice thing you do to for the other ghouls,and brilliant too.' Hide had to admit, it was smart and eased his mind knowing members of his favorite coffee shop werent going out killing people every few weeks and surviving off of people who decide to take their own lives rather than have them taken from them.

Yoshimura stood up and walked to the door but didnt open it 'I hope you have also learned that not all ghouls are blood thirst monsters who kill on a whim, we are just like humans we have emotions, dreams, desires... its just a shame we are cursed with having to eat human flesh and be hunted and scared to survive because people say its wrong, they call us monsters and some may be, but we all get labeled as monsters. what do you think about that Hideyoshi?' Yoshimura asked Hide curiously. 'That is not fair, humans have their share of monsters aswell, murderers, rapist...you are just trying to survive, there is nothing wrong with that...i feel bad for never considering it from a ghouls perspective before.' Hide said without hesitation. 'Well you only hear about the monsters and people live in fear from something they dont understand because of it, i wonder if most humans would be as accepting of us as you are Hideyoshi.' Yoshimura stated with a smile. 'You can call me Hide, you dont have to say my full name and Hide is asier for everyone.' Hide chuckled while rubbing his head. 'Very well Hide' Yoshimura smiled.

'I wanted to talk to you and help you understand that you are important to Kaneki, humans can be important to some ghouls who are willing to allow humans to get close to them, i was close with a human, Kaneki is close to you, and Touka's best friend is human. I trusted telling you Anteiku's secret to help your friend through these tough times, we will help him understand and learn how to be a ghoul, but he will need you to be there for him you are a big part of his life that he doesnt want to lose, so i will ask you what i wanted to talk to you about...Will you accept him? Regardless of him being a ghoul, and accept him for who he is?' Yoshimura asked Hide with a serious tone.

'I accept Kaneki, i dont care if he is human or ghoul, he is my best friend and i will never abandon him' Hide said confidently and determind. 'Im glad we had this talk and agree with one another' Yoshimura reached into his pocket and pulled out some money and placed it on the table 'if you wouldnt mind doing me a favor Hide, would you mind going downstairs and getting yourself a cup of our coffee while your downstairs thanking Touka? If you also wouldnt mind after you leave Anteiku, going to a book store and look for a book that has more information about ghouls, it might help you with any questions you might have that i didnt answer today.' Yoshimura said with a large smile on his face. 'You bet i will, thanks for everything Yoshimura.' Hide said. 'its not a problem at all, i consider you family now as far as im concerned as long as youve been coming here with Kaneki and since he works here now. I have told the other that i have told you that you were in an accident so just play along with it but we will know different.' Yoshimura smiled as he opened the door walked out and closed it gently behind him and walking off.

Hide feeling in a more positve mood and with the medicine that he had taken earlier starting to take effect Hide got out of bed and went over to the drawer that had his clothes and opened it. Hide quickly changed clothes and made the bed he had slept in and placed the pajamas he was wearing on the bed. Hide walked over to the table to grab the money Yoshimura had left for him eager to go downstairs for a fresh cup of coffee. Hide opened the door and walked outside going down the stairs and walking out to the serving area of Anteiku and was greeted by Touka who was cleaning a cup.

'Hey Touka, I heard you saved me and Kaneki from the accident, thanks' Hide said with a smile after sitting on the other side of the counter facing Touka. 'Dont mention it im just glad i happened to be passing by.' Touka said with a smile. 'Well since im here can i go ahead and get a cappuccino?' Hide asked polietly as he handed some of the money Yoshimura had left for him earlier. 'thank you' Touka said with a smile as she took the money and handed Hide back his change. Shortly after Touka handed him the cappuccino he ordered and tok a large sip as soon as he got it, feeling bad remembering it was the only thing humans and ghouls both liked. taking another gulp then looking to Touka. 'You guys make some good coffee, maybe you could show me how you guys make it so good?' Hide playfully asked Touka. Touka chuckled 'sorry i have alot i need to do'.

'Some other time then, okay?' Hide told Touka wiht a large smile on his face hearing the door open and seeing Kaneki walk out. Upon seeing Kaneki Hide had mixed feeling about seeing his best friend, he was happy to see his best friend gave Hide comfort especially knowing his secret that he was scared to share with Hide, but still slightly in shock that his best friend nearly ate him. 'regardless of him being a ghoul he is still the same person ive known all these years, Yoshimura was right. I Can tell just by looking at him, that weight bearing down on him, i cant believe i couldnt see it before,...but i didnt understand, from now on im going to be here for him even more, Kaneki needs me' Hide thought to himself.

Quickly raising his hand to catch his friends attention. 'Kaneki! Whats up?' Hide said in his usual upbeat attitude. 'Hey. Hide! Why are you here? Kaneki asked Hide somewhat surprised to see him. 'Aw, C'mon! I think thats pretty obvious, Dont you? I came to thank Touka.' Hide said with a smile. 'For what?' Kaneki asked. 'Dontcha remember? shes the one who found us after the accident.' Hide said knowing none of it was true but playing along with the story hed been given. 'Wha?' Hide heard Kaneki start to ask but heard a thud and saw Kaneki's face start to show pain. Hide assumed it was Touka trying to stop him for screwing up the story Yoshimura had told everyone to tell Hide. 'I guess he hasnt completely recovered yet.' Touka added with a smile.

'So how ya feelin?' Hide asked Kaneki paying attention to every facial expression Kaneki gave in his response. 'Um, good. Yeah' Kaneki said as he smiled. 'He hesitated, he must still be upset about earlier...He did try to eat me, but its obvious he wasnt himself, he still cares alot about me and is worried about losing me, well im still here despite nearly being eaten and im going to be here for him because hes my best friend.' Hide thought in his mind then responding to Kaneki 'Hm. Well im glad, i heard Nishio is still in the hospital. were really lucky you found us when you did. i mean the fact we got off with nothing but a few scratches is all thanks to you. we owe ya one. see ya guys later.' Hide said as he opened the door and left Anteiku. Hide paused outside infront of Anteiku thinking about everything thats happened, then remembering the favor Yoshimura asked him earlier as Hide walked down the road headed towards the book store to find anything with knowledge on ghouls so he could learn more about what Kaneki was going through.

As Hide walked he couldnt help but think about Kaneki and the position he was in.'I cant stop imagining how hard the change for Kaneki must be, im not surprised Kaneki refused to eat human flesh...i dont think i could if i were human and then turned into a ghoul...even if my survival depended on it. Kaneki is stronger than i am, i dont know what i would do in his situation. I cant believe Kaneki is worried if he told me he was a ghoul id leave him, i dont care if he is a ghoul, You could've told me...but i guess you will one day when your ready, until that day i will always be here for you.

Thanks for reading - Skwiz

A/N - This so far is the longest story i had written, since youve read this story, i hope you guys think i did the characters and the anime justice by giving my idea of Hides perspective. This took me longer than normal to write but i have stayed with it and finished it exactly what i wanted to, im very proud of what i have written and hope everyone liked it, i dont know if ill write another one this long for awhile lol. Anyways im sorry for the several errors im sure are in the story. I hope to catch some of you guys in more of my stories, thanks for reading and have a good day/night. - Skwiz


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